


Insomnia's a bitch

by trash_mammall



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Implied Parental Neglect, Insomnia, Max can't sleep and David knows more than he lets on, This Is Fine, bc it's max, dadvid if you squint, max is so fucking tired n david just wants him to fucking Sleep, neil is mentioned, the rating is bc there's gonna be some swearing as evident by the title, there r a lot of this kinda fic but Whatever, these characters deserve happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 04:59:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13046979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trash_mammall/pseuds/trash_mammall
Summary: Max can't fall asleep, unsurprisingly, and there's not much to do during the night. David comes across him, who knows why he's awake too, but doesn't seem upset.





	Insomnia's a bitch

Insomnia was an absolute bitch. Max had long since accepted his fate of never getting the proper amount of rest, the caffeine flowing through his veins enough to last him through each day. When he had been dropped off at Camp Campbell a naive part of him had hoped that this place would be different, and maybe his insomnia was connected to his home.

Unsurprisingly, no such luck.

Max shuffled his way outside, hoodie protecting him from the summer breeze and shoes haphazardly thrown on without an attempt to tie the laces. Normally he’d make his way into the kitchen for a glass of water, or a snack if he wanted to blame his inability to fall asleep on his neglect to feed himself, but here he wouldn’t touch anything in the kitchen with a fucking yardstick.

Instead, he decided to take a walk. He’d done this only once before, and it hadn’t really helped as far as he could remember, but it wasn’t like he had anything else to do. He was absolutely not going to lie in that tent awake, staring at the fabric overhead and listening to Neil’s snoring for hours.

The lake was breathtaking at this hour, Max found out. The moon made the still surface glitter and shine in an ethereal way one only discovered in the hours of the night when everything was still. Time didn’t feel quite real, either, the only way for him to notice anything at all being the rhythmic hooting of a nearby owl.

The stars were also enthralling, and for a moment Max could begin to understand why Space Kid was obsessed with them and what lay beyond. He could see the Milky Way Galaxy, and what he assumed were some constellations, though he was rather ignorant on the subject. He was honestly just pulling some guesses out of his ass based on some, honestly one-sided, conversation he had overheard between Space Kid and David.

Max sat himself down on the edge of the dock, looking across the expanse of dark water. The lake was murky, and smelled a little funny if you paid close enough attention, and the echoes of moans and wails could be heard if one really tried, but everything was still surprisingly peaceful.

No yelling kids, no yelling adults, no yelling.

At the sound of shuffling behind him, Max tensed. His mind briefly reminded him of what had happened at home when he’d been caught in the kitchen at such a late hour, when the sun had begun to rise and his feet hadn’t been as quiet as they should’ve.

But when he turned, he was faced with a rather tired looking David.

He didn’t bother to say anything, simply turned back to face the glimmering lake. Apparently David didn’t want to talk either, instead cautiously taking a seat to the left of Max. A lantern was placed between them, but Max quickly shut it off and shoved it a few feet behind them, a small scowl on his face.

He knew he was going to get shit on. He knew kids weren’t supposed to be out of their tents so late. He knew he was going directly against the safety precautions set in place to keep little shits like him from dying. He knew he wasn’t going to get away with this.

But after a few minutes of silence - or perhaps it had been an hour, time really didn’t seem to follow the same rules at night - with the two of them just watching the scenery in front of them, Max began to gnaw on his lip anxiously. He wasn’t used to David being so quiet, and it was common fact that David was all about safety and following rules, so what the fuck.

“Max, how long have you been out here?” David’s voice was soft when it finally rose from the silence. It didn’t startle Max as much as he had expected it to.

Max shrugged in reply, both because he really wasn’t sure and also because talking felt wrong at the moment. David could break the silence all he wanted but Max wasn’t ready to just yet.

David nodded, adding a barely-there hum as acknowledgement, but then was silent again. Max’s brows furrowed, his attention now fully taken from watching the water. Why wasn’t he being told off? Why wasn’t David bothering to ask what he was doing out here? David, who loved to shove his nose in everything Max ever did?

“Why haven’t you sent me back to my tent yet?” Max’s voice was quieter than usual, but still held a familiar amount of force.

David looked at him, eyes tired and soft, and a small smile was resting on his face. It wasn’t the excited, overly enthusiastic expression that was a constant nightmare during the day. Max appreciated David’s ability to chill the fuck down, even if it wasn’t nearly as often as would be ideal.

“Because I know why you’re out here, and being stuck inside your tent wouldn’t help anything.” David spoke as if it was an obvious fact, as though he really did know the exact reason for Max being out after hours.

At the uncertain glare he was being granted in reply, David let out a small laugh. “I don’t need to be a college graduate to know you can’t sleep, Max. No ten year old who sleeps enough would willingly drink black coffee.”

Max huffed, redirecting his glare towards spooky island in the distance. He grumbled under his breath at the fact that he actually _enjoyed_ the flavour of coffee so David could go _fuck himself,_ which only earned another chuckle in reply. Max kicked his foot in an attempt to disturb the water below them. His shoelace grazed the surface, and he watched the ripple expand.

After another uncertain amount of time, Max found himself nodding off. The sky was beginning to grow a shade lighter, and a few bugs had found their way to the dock where algae lay waiting. David still looked as tired as before, but didn’t show any sign of actually wishing to fall asleep, so Max tried to force himself to stay awake. He wasn’t about to fall asleep _on David._ Fuck that.

He was doing pretty well, until he began to lean too far to the right and nearly slipped sideways into the chilly water. Max jumped back into a sitting position, shaking his head in an effort to clear his drowsiness, but his eyelids continued to feel heavy and he was having great difficulty keeping them from shutting.

“Maybe you should head back to your tent, eh? Try and get some sleep?” Max could practically hear David’s grin.

“Fuck you, I’m fine.” Max was not fine. He fell the opposite direction and headbutted David’s side. After a moment of trying to push himself back into a sitting position, he gave up, groaning aggravatedly at his own lack of strength.

David sighed, and wrapped his arms around Max’s body, carefully picking him up. After repositioning so he had a hand free to carry the lantern, David made his way up the shore and towards the tents. Max squirmed in a half-assed attempt to break free, mumbling protests and demands to be put down. David was apparently stronger than his gangly limbs suggested, however, so he had little trouble keeping a hold on Max.

Eventually, Max quieted down and allowed David to place him in his cot. He could make out the continued snores from Neil to his right, and a hand carting through his hair accompanied by a “goodnight, Max,” from his left. He mumbled something in reply, clouded by exhaustion and a pillow shoved in his face, but David smiled anyway before turning to leave.

Max’s mind was almost silent, the peaceful promise of sleep curling around him. It allowed him one last thought before he drifted asleep, gladly accepting the dark nothingness.

Why in the hell had David been awake at ass-o’clock?

**Author's Note:**

> this is Incredibly unoriginal but I don't really care whoops. this is honestly just a drabble I put together bc I just finished writing a fic n have nothing else to do wHoops. hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Tumblr: trash-mammall


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